Nova Scotia Style Donair

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a large baking pan with sides.

2. Combine beef, lamb, flour, oregano, salt, dry mustard, 2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chile pepper, paprika, and Italian seasoning in a bowl; knead with your hands until mixture is paste-like, about 10 minutes. Roll into a large loaf shape; place into the prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove from oven; place loaf on a drip rack to allow juices and fat to drain until completely cool. Refrigerate loaf for 6 hours or overnight.

4. Combine evaporated milk, sugar, and 2 teaspoons garlic powder in a small bowl; gradually stir in vinegar just until mixture thickens.

5. Slice donair loaf into strips about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick; fry in a skillet over medium-high heat, in single-sandwich batches, until begins to crisp at edges. Remove from skillet. Quickly rub 1 pita round lightly with water; fry pita in same skillet, turning once, just until warm, about 1 minute.

6. Spread pita with about 1/2 tablespoon sauce; top with pan-fried donair meat. Garnish with tomato, onion, and more sauce; repeat with remaining donair and pita.

Cook's Notes:

Beef can be used in place of lamb if desired.

Flour acts as a binder, but it is possible to make the recipe without using flour.

In place of kneading meat mixture in Step 2, you can pass mixture through a grinder until finely ground. The finished product should be similar to processed meat, so that it can be thinly sliced and then pan fried without crumbling.

You can also top with mozzarella cheese if you like.